Also at Amazon.com for the same price - free shipping - apparently NO rebate involved.

Costco.com has the better deal than Amazon. Mailing out a rebate is a minor annoyance since Costco.com deal comes with 2 year map update, and you can always return it to a local Costco within 90 days if you don't like it without any restock charges.

The rebate must be sent (all vendors) within 30 days, so if you really want to test out the one you get from Costco for 90 days, you forfeit the $50 rebate. Without a rebate, Costco has of course has the better deal and by far the better "trial period"

A GPS can be returned to Costco whenever you become dissatisfied with it according to the posted Return Policy on Costco.com. If this is incorrect I'd like to see the proof.

Merchandise: We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. Exceptions: Televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPOD / MP3 players and cellular phones must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund.

They will even refund any shipping and handling charges, if applicable.

I also never indicated that Amazon was a better deal. I bought mine at Costco on Nov. 17 and I have until Dec 17 to submit the rebate form. But it may still go back so we shall see how that all shakes out with the $$$$.

Probably won't know until the updates hit the streets. I was told by a Navigon rep that they may be making more POIs avavailable in January but they were considering putting a price on them. All speculation IMHO at this point.

It may all confirm the old adage that there is no such thing as a free lunch. They give us Traffic for free and now may charge us for POIs when no other manufacturer does. :roll: Not a smart marketing move IMO.

Probably won't know until the updates hit the streets. I was told by a Navigon rep that they may be making more POIs avavailable in January but they were considering putting a price on them. All speculation IMHO at this point.

It may all confirm the old adage that there is no such thing as a free lunch. They give us Traffic for free and now may charge us for POIs when no other manufacturer does. :roll: Not a smart marketing move IMO.

From what I was told, software, map, and POI updates are part of the FreshMaps program when you purchase the 3-year plan. That gives you updates (software, maps, POIs) 4 times a year for three years. I never assumed that updates would be free. They are a LOT cheaper than Garmin and others when they update theirs. Garmin charges about $70 for ONE map update a year, plus TMC charges $60 a year (or 15 months depending on the offer) for traffic monitoring. Navigon offers their traffic monitoring for free for the life of the PND (depending on the model). You can buy the Navigon FreshMaps for $34-$80 depending on the seller. I was able to buy FreshMaps from a seller on Amazon for $36. That's a cost of $3 per update.... what a bargain!

Probably won't know until the updates hit the streets. I was told by a Navigon rep that they may be making more POIs avavailable in January but they were considering putting a price on them. All speculation IMHO at this point.

It may all confirm the old adage that there is no such thing as a free lunch. They give us Traffic for free and now may charge us for POIs when no other manufacturer does. :roll: Not a smart marketing move IMO.

From what I was told, software, map, and POI updates are part of the FreshMaps program when you purchase the 3-year plan. That gives you updates (software, maps, POIs) 4 times a year for three years. I never assumed that updates would be free. They are a LOT cheaper than Garmin and others when they update theirs. Garmin charges about $70 for ONE map update a year, plus TMC charges $60 a year (or 15 months depending on the offer) for traffic monitoring. Navigon offers their traffic monitoring for free for the life of the PND (depending on the model). You can buy the Navigon FreshMaps for $34-$80 depending on the seller. I was able to buy FreshMaps from a seller on Amazon for $36. That's a cost of $3 per update.... what a bargain!

Alex

Thanks guys.

From reading the Navigon website, they do state that POI updates are part of the FreshMaps program... So, if they are going to be charging extra $$$ for POI updates on top of the FreshMap fee, then that seems to be very misleading.

I've sent an inquiry to Navigon to see what they say.

Saw a post from Spyder in another thread back in Nov indicating he had spoken to a tech at Navigon re this as well.

Roads reconfigure. POIs change every day. Our maps undergo more than 150 million map updates annually. Make sure you keep ahead of the pack with the most up-to-date maps available.

No one offers this many field-verified map updates. NAVIGON FreshMaps are road-tested and quality-controlled at the source. Map updates you can trust.

* Regular map and POI updates for accurate navigation * Up to 12 quality updates over three years * Field-tested by NAVTEQ and quality-controlled at the source * Simple activation process - no monthly or hidden fees * Easy to use and download updates * Compatible with all NAVIGON devices

Now is says that POIs are included as part of the FreshMap service, so whoever is saying that we have to pay extra for POIs may be misinformed.

I feel compelled to reply and possibly clarify what I understand I was told by a Navigon rep. (And granted, all this has to be taken with a grain of salt as they (reps) are often misinformed or just plain ignorant of current company policies, updates, and even their own name (Peter's name may well be Mujibar). :lol: )

A 7200t only has about 1.3 - 1.5 million POIs. The 8100 reportedly has a higher number of POIs. As AlexM555 stated/showed the Nav website indicated that POIs will come free with any Freshmaps updates and that makes sense. BUT, will you get substantially MORE POIs, especially in the case of the 7200 (or lower models)? - I suspect not! If you want MORE POIs you may well have to pay for them and that could be their plan. Time will tell. I hope I am (or more correctly, the Navigon rep) is wrong.

In the meantime I will be forced to resort to using my Garmin or Mio to find most common POIs, including Home Depot, Costco, a post office and the town called Hershey, PA.

***** IMPORTANT INFORMATION/DISCLAIMER *****

This message represents the official view of the voices in my head :wink:

Spyder, you're def pointing out a potential loophole in Navigon's claim for POI updates. I sent them an email asking them the very same thing in terms of how robust the POI updates will be specifically for the 7200T. If they plan to charge another fee to substantially increase the POI's, then it may alter my purchasing decision depending on possible cost. However, if that is their plan, they really should clarify their language on their website regarding what FreshMaps gives you in terms of POI updates.

One of the biggest differences besides the screen size between the 7200 and the 8100 is the amount of RAM they contain. The 8100T has 512MB of RAM and the 7200 only has 64MB. That could be one of the biggest differences why POIs are limited in the 7200. Without knowing how the POI tables are stored in each device, the differences in RAM would be the only thing I could think of that would make a difference between the two machines outside of a straight marketing decision to give the 7200 less POIs. If Navigon is indeed offering more POIs for more $$, then it obviously was a marketing decision to go with the less amount for the lower priced 7200.

One of the biggest differences besides the screen size between the 7200 and the 8100 is the amount of RAM they contain. The 8100T has 512MB of RAM and the 7200 only has 64MB. That could be one of the biggest differences why POIs are limited in the 7200. Without knowing how the POI tables are stored in each device, the differences in RAM would be the only thing I could think of that would make a difference between the two machines outside of a straight marketing decision to give the 7200 less POIs. If Navigon is indeed offering more POIs for more $$, then it obviously was a marketing decision to go with the less amount for the lower priced 7200.

Alex

It has been discovered that the 7200T has an unused 2GB internal flash drive. It can be formatted. It has also been reported that the 7200 has 128MB of internal RAM, not 64MB. Possibly the unused flash drive opens a whole new scenario for the 7200 getting more POIs and who knows what else. Hence the following from Navigon Tech Team:

Dear Navigon Customer,Thank you for your inquiry.

The device contains some internal memory storage that we are not yet utilizing. ------------------------------------------

The 7200 has a faster processor but less RAM but has 2GB of unused flash RAM. The 8100T has a slower processor but has 128MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM. The 7200 has InstantFix II and Landscape 3D but the 8100 does not.

Why didn't they make the 8100T everything that the 7200 is and more? It seemed like they picked and chose only the features that they thought would appeal to the high end users.... blue tooth and Panoramic 3D...and charge over $200 more for it. In some ways the 8100 is less of a machine than the 7200 but more in other ways. I guess they figured that a stainless steel case, 4.8" screen, 5+ million POIs and bluetooth would make the $599 price tag worth it.

There was a little discussion in this thread regarding Navigon rebates so I thought I would relate my experience today.

Today I got a post card from the Navigon rebate center denying my rebate submission for $50 on a COSTCO purchased 7200t on the grounds that my letter was not postmarked within the 30 day submission period. So I called the rebate center number (877-724-8646) and very quickly got Mujibar (aka James). Quite courteous and I could pretty much understand him. I said I was contesting my denial as I know it was postmarked within the 30 days as I had the post office hand stamp/cancel the letter so it would be legible. Now, granted, it was right on the 30th day because the Costco rebate forms did not materialize until late in the 30 day period. After "looking" at the scans of my submission material he did conclude that I was within the 30 day period, BUT another flag in his system said I did not purchase the Navigon 7200t between NOV 17 and DEC 22 and again I said it was ordered on NOV 17 and it was on the sales receipt I submitted. He then acquiesced on that point and apologized for their mistake and my inconvenience. So, now a check for $50 is in the mail although it must be coming from India as it will take 3-4 weeks.

Storal of the Mory: The squeeky wheel gets the grease. If you get denied, call and state your case. When I get my money the 7200t will have cost me $250 with 2 years free maps. I might just keep it. :roll:

And poor Mujibar was a little confused on who he was working for today as when we were hanging up he thanked me for calling the Home Depot Rebate Center. :lol: Personally I don't care who sends me my $$$.!

I agree. I bought the 7200 when no rebate was available, but for 50 bucks I went after it. I don't recall ever being denied so I went after it for the principle of it. When you can apply for a rebate online and only have to enter a couple receipt codes and you are done then it isn't so bad.